


Everlast

by FallenIsel (IseliaDragonwill)



Series: Where There Is Light [8]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Boys Kissing, Established Relationship, Gil can't resist him, Healer Ardyn Izunia, Kissing in the Rain, M/M, Romantic Fluff, typical Ardyn banter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-26
Updated: 2020-01-26
Packaged: 2021-02-27 04:09:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,043
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22410796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IseliaDragonwill/pseuds/FallenIsel
Summary: “Do I now? Should we put that claim to the test?”A sudden gust picked up around them, followed by a few stray drops of rain—a final warning to seek shelter. Had Gilgamesh not known better, much like the common folk enthralled by his supposed divinity, he might have thought Ardyn to be responsible somehow."---In which Ardyn and Gilgamesh fall not for the same tricks, but for each other–time and time again. Written for the gilgardyn zine.
Relationships: Gilgamesh (Final Fantasy XV)/Ardyn Izunia
Series: Where There Is Light [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1198570
Comments: 6
Kudos: 14





	Everlast

**Author's Note:**

> I'm happy I can finally share this fic! As some of you may know, I participated in a Gilgardyn fanzine. This is one of two pieces I created for it (the other being artwork). If I had to pick, this might be one of my favorite Gilgardyn fics I've written.
> 
> Comments and kudos are love <3

“What do you think?”

Gilgamesh turned his head towards the darkening sky. The clouds stretched out in all directions, leaving not a scrap of blue in sight, but it was the wind, bringing with it a damp chill in the air, that was the true portent of things to come. “Looks like a storm.”

“Should we try to wait it out or make a run for it?”

“Hm. If we don’t hurry back, we’re likely to be stuck out here a while. Here.” 

He pulled down his hood—letting loose a cascade of pale, silvery hair—and set to unwinding the mantle from around his neck. “So you stay dry.”

Ardyn huffed. His attempt to be dismissive may have worked if only the appreciation didn’t reach his eyes, once again reminded of all the little ways Gilgamesh cared for him. “You don’t have to do that, you know. I won’t melt from a little rainwater.”

No, he wouldn’t melt—Gilgamesh knew that. Then again, when had it _just_ been about making sure Ardyn stayed dry, or warm, or safe? Not for a long time, possibly ever. Not when he looked beneath the surface and realized how his natural instinct to serve, to protect, had blossomed into so much more from the day he first looked upon his newly appointed charge and was entranced by those captivating amber eyes.

“Besides, you’ll just catch cold. I can’t have you falling ill. Who else will keep me out of trouble while you’re laid up in bed?” Ardyn crossed his arms over his chest, smiling in that self-assured, almost cocky way he always did. 

A fair enough argument, but it wasn’t as though a simple cold would render him bedridden, Gilgamesh mused, placing the hood on Ardyn’s head with all the reverence one might bestow a crown. “You won’t be rid of me that easily, Ardyn,” he retorted as he secured the mantle around Ardyn’s neck and shoulders, tucking a few loose strands of auburn hair behind his ear. “And you underestimate my ability to keep up with your antics. Sick or not.” 

There it was—that grin. The one with the narrowed eyes and the tilt of his head that perfectly captured his playful, if mischievous, disposition. And as much as it tended to precede some fleeting whim of Ardyn’s—one that never made his job as Shield any easier—Gilgamesh wouldn’t trade it for the world.

“Do I now? Should we put that claim to the test?”

A sudden gust picked up around them, followed by a few stray drops of rain—a final warning to seek shelter. Had Gilgamesh not known better, much like the common folk enthralled by his supposed divinity, he might have thought Ardyn to be responsible somehow. Yet for all those that would take a knee and follow his every command, Gilgamesh couldn’t say the same for the weather, even if the timing of it was particularly uncanny. Ardyn _was_ just a man, after all. 

Gilgamesh should have turned back then, instead of hooking an arm around Ardyn’s waist to pull him flush against his chest, meeting his gaze with a challenge of his own. To his credit, Ardyn did make a meager show of resistance, unaware that Gilgamesh had already caught the way his pupils widened in response to that sudden show of strength, unable to ignore how the lines of their bodies fit together so perfectly. It may not have been “honorable” in Gilgamesh’s book, to exploit one of his more glaring weaknesses, but he’d long since adapted to Ardyn’s games and knew he wasn’t above employing his every wit and wile to get what he wanted—namely, Gilgamesh’s affections.

“All’s fair in love and war”, or so they said. And he loved Ardyn oh-so-much.

Keeping a firm hand on the small of his back, Gilgamesh brushed his knuckles over Ardyn’s cheek. Such a fleeting gesture, but one brimming with a fondness even Gilgamesh himself was not immune to; his mistake soon realized as he caught that familiar, impish glint in Ardyn’s eyes, that quirk of his lip. He had lost. What started as a game—a rise to meet his lover’s challenge—was forgotten, his will sealed in amber as he wondered to himself once more how he fell so easily time and time again. 

Then again, he supposed it didn’t really matter. If he were to fall, it would be to the desire to show Ardyn how much he was loved. Cherished. 

Their lips met as the rain came down harder, leaving drops on skin meant to chill, but warmed away so effortlessly by the heat they found in each other’s embrace. Gilgamesh’s hand slipped into the hood of his mantle, threading fingers into waves of red as they found their place at the base of Ardyn’s neck, cradling him. Insistent lips pressed deeper, urging him to yield. 

And yield he did. 

He may not have seen the way Ardyn’s eyes fluttered closed, but he felt how his lips parted with a needy sigh as he grasped onto the collar of his shirt for purchase and surged up on his toes, seeking to sate that which only Gilgamesh could offer. With uncertainty sinking its tendrils into nearly all aspects of their lives, Gilgamesh promised loyalty and devotion without question, and though Ardyn never lost sight of such a simple truth, Gilgamesh reassured him of it with every kiss.

It mattered not that the rain continued to fall as they parted, thoroughly soaking them to the bone. Gilgamesh could only laugh, laden with affection, as he wiped a few beads of water from Ardyn’s cheek with his thumb, the irony not lost as he realized that which drove him to shelter Ardyn in the first place now kept him rooted to this spot. Had it not been for a clap of thunder, he might have stayed there through the storm, gazing into Ardyn’s eyes as he held him close. Instead, he reached for his hand and took off at a brisk pace towards town, checking every so often to make sure Ardyn didn’t fall behind.

“It’s a good thing you won’t melt,” Gilgamesh called over his shoulder, smiling and breathless. 

Little did he know, Ardyn already had.

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on [Pillowfort](https://www.pillowfort.io/iseliadragonwill) and [Twitter](https://twitter.com/FallenIsel). Or if you prefer, you can follow my [Art Twitter](https://twitter.com/FallenIsel) for all the creative stuff and none of my babble.
> 
> I don't bite and would love to talk to more people about my fics. T_T If you'd prefer to remain anonymous, I also have CuriousCat: https://curiouscat.me/FallenIsel


End file.
